We're not miserable! Sandwell leaders anger at report

Its residents are miserable, on low wages and dissatisfied with their lives, compared with other parts of the country, according to the report, which also named the borough as the second least prosperous area.

But the study, compiled by think tank The Legatum Institute, which placed Sandwell joint second with Liverpool in terms of how miserable its residents were, was today questioned by the borough council's deputy leader Steve Eling.

He said: "These reports all tend to go on if you are deprived you must be miserable, it's not true.

"Average salary isn't a measure of anything apart from average salary. There is always someone coming up with some sort of survey. If you did a survey of people locally it would probably come up with something different.

"I find people are miserable in the South East and they earn more money - you couldn't find more miserable people and they are wealthier than we are, that's the impression I get.

"I don't see people walking around miserable. That's why I question the methodology of the report."

Sandwell's mayor Councillor Barbara Price said: "The borough of Sandwell is deprived but people seem to be quite happy with how things are.

"Everybody wishes they could have a bit more money, not just in Sandwell, but it is not always the case that those earning the least are the most miserable.

"On the whole, what I've found from being mayor is that people seem to be happy with how Sandwell is. I wouldn't say people in Sandwell are miserable."

The study ranked areas based on average salary and life satisfaction.

For its inaugural Geography of Prosperity index, The Legatum Institute compared the prosperity of 170 areas across Britain. It combined the Eurostat's data on gross domestic product for UK local areas and the ONS's well-being statistics.

Wolverhampton performed even worse in the survey, being ranked as the most miserable and least prosperous place to live in the UK.